Strays

Re: Strays

Kate Claxton DipAVN(Med)VN — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:12:02 GMT

You do own a cat - a pet cat is classed as 'property' or a chattel. It's feral cats which are classed as vermin - but of course it's not always easy to identify a 'feral' cat from a nervous owned cat!

Some useful cat legal stuff available from the CPL at: http://www.cats.org.uk/catcare/leaflets/EG10-Catsandthelaw.pdf

Also, a microchip doesn't prove ownership - it merely identifies a cat and links it to a name and address. I've seen several contested ownership cases in practice and each time the courts made the final decision, not always in favour of the person linked to the cat via the microchip!

Re: Strays

Kim Buckley — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:06:37 GMT

We had a man bring in a quite old looking cat who was in good condition except for a weepy eye. The guy was going on about how he had found him sleeping in the sun in a graveyard and saw he had a bad eye and had picked him up and bought him to us and it was his good deed for the day saving this stray cat. The cat was healthy and happy apart from a slight discharge from one eye and he was wearing a fairly smart collar. The vet told the man to take the cat back from where he had found it and the guy got in a right huff about it.

We also had an elderly siamese bought into us twice as a stray even though it had clipped fur from where it had had recent blood tests!

Re: Strays

Snowb — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 17:19:24 GMT

[quote user="Rachel Jayne"]

There was an article in the vet times recently written by a vet who lost her hypert4 cat and the neighbour found it & took it to the RSPCA who were going to put it down cause it was old & out of condition, did anyone else read it?!

[/quote]

yep i read it, i was quite shocked because it was chipped, if an animal charity wont scan your pet who will?! however i'm working for one at the moment and first thing we do is scan the whole body!! but is amazing how many people will bring a cat in and claim its a stray, tho it doesnt look like one! they'r either dumping thier pet on us and dont want to say or picked some poor kitty of the street! but havent been there long enough to know if anyones ever come in claiming one was theirs.

Re: Strays

loopylou711 — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:24:04 GMT

nope you don't own your cat. For example if your dog causes an accident then you are responsible but if your cat causes an accident you arn't responsible. I am thats it anyways!! No one legally owns their cat... stupid really!!

Re: Strays

dinkyd — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 16:17:13 GMT

I read this on the letters page of i think the vet times?

Re: Strays

Saskia Quinn — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:16:47 GMT

yes, it rings a bell with me too. I would also agree with you though Loobylou, the fact that a cat is microchipped should prove ownership

Re: Strays

Claire Cameron — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:07:14 GMT

[quote user="loobylou"]

[quote user="SaskiaVN"]

Now, correct me if I am wrong (must have my educational hat on tonight lolol)

Is there some law, somewhere that states, you dont own a cat in the same way you can claim ownership of a dog? If not, I stand corrected!

[/quote]

That does ring a bell for some reason but couldnt say for definate.
Surely the fact the cat is microchipped would prove ownership?

[/quote]

Microchip proves ownership and unless its chip the cat aint yours

Re: Strays

loobylou — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:05:05 GMT

[quote user="SaskiaVN"]

Now, correct me if I am wrong (must have my educational hat on tonight lolol)

Is there some law, somewhere that states, you dont own a cat in the same way you can claim ownership of a dog? If not, I stand corrected!

[/quote]

That does ring a bell for some reason but couldnt say for definate.
Surely the fact the cat is microchipped would prove ownership?

Re: Strays

Saskia Quinn — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:02:44 GMT

Now, correct me if I am wrong (must have my educational hat on tonight lolol)

Is there some law, somewhere that states, you dont own a cat in the same way you can claim ownership of a dog? If not, I stand corrected!

Re: Strays

loobylou — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:50:38 GMT

Had another one yesterday! New client, just moved to area 6 months ago. Brought cat in for vaccines etc. History was that the cat 'adopted' them 2 years ago. Scanned it and surprise surprise its got a chip. We got owners details and rang them to let them know cat was here. They say they knew the current owner had been feeding the cat and had asked them not to. Next thing the cat disapears and they hear nothing more. They are currently deciding if they want the cat back.

Also my auntie has just got her 15 year old hyperthyroid cat back after him being missing for 3 months. Turns out he was living with the local mad cat woman just 2 streets away!

Re: Strays

Rachel Jayne — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:12:35 GMT

On a slightly more amusing note, I had my second case recently of someone bringing a stray dog in (it was a cat the first time) stood there taking the details from the finder & having the owner running in a few minutes later shouting "Oi, that man took my dog!!"

Lol!! the first time, the owner of the cat claims the finder just picked it up off her garden wall & walked off with it!!

Re: Strays

Rachel Jayne — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:09:22 GMT

~This one in the vet times article was chipped! the rspca hadn't bothered checking!!

Probably thought, old knackered cat, no way it's chipped!

Re: Strays

Rachel Jayne — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:07:49 GMT

this one in the vet times article was chipped! the rspca hadn't bothered checking!!

Probably thought, old knackered cat, no way it's chipped!

Re: Strays

chanel clydesdale — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 20:02:59 GMT

Only thing you can do is encourage more owners to chip their pets. This happened to my boss also as he had taken on an older cat with kidney failure and even though she had a collar on, they took her to the local vets and claimed that she had been a stray :s

Re: Strays

Claire Cameron — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:55:42 GMT

[quote user="Rachel Jayne"]

[/quote]

Didnt read it but it doesnt suprise me

Re: Strays

Rachel Jayne — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 19:53:54 GMT

Re: Strays

loopylou711 — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 18:15:33 GMT

we used to have a joke in my old practice about our cpl lady doing this. Fair enough some cats were feral but some were lovely friendly and healthy. Was't convinced they were all "stray".

Not sure wht u can do then except scan them and hope for a chip!! :)

Re: Strays

Claire Cameron — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 17:35:42 GMT

We had an RSPCA inspector bring in a cat the other day that was stray....turns out the cat has an owner and the RSPCA have taken the same cat to a vets 4 times before!!!! for treatment for the same condition (they thought it was in pain as it appears to have an old pelvic injury so has a funny gait"